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Sounds Like a Plan

When I met my husband, many years ago, I picked up on all of his habit-phrases. You know the ones I mean … when people say the same thing after the same situation occurs.

One of Farmer Dean’s familiar sayings comes after my delivering some desires and hope of what we should do over the weekend, or some task to take care of at the farm or the little church. “Will you help me?” I’ll ask.

He’ll respond with his habit- phrase: “Sounds like a plan.”

He delivers those words freely and frequently and that often brings me comfort and peace. It inevitably means that my farmer is on board and we’re moving towards a common goal.

But it isn’t always like that with God, is it?

More often than not, I will find myself planning things, preparing for events with specific details mapped out for the journey ahead of me.

I’ll map out everything for work that I’m going to accomplish the next morning … and then a friend shows up for an unexpected visit in need of some coffee and a listening ear.

I’ll deliver the schedule for our Best Life event to the team and someone speaks to long or goes to short. The timing gets all mixed up.

I’ll create my shopping list to head to the store and my daughter calls and says she needs a babysitter promptly.

I’ll plan our vacation to the exact minute, and we’ll hit a detour leading us an hour out of the way.

Here’s what I learned from these adventures. God’s in the plan. He’s orchestrating His will and His way for a bigger picture.

As I review those examples I just shared, I can tell you … God’s plan was better!

The friend was prayed over and encouraged. She was much more important than my work. She was God’s work.

At the events where timing gets off, I see the Holy Spirit working as He needs to so that He can reach the people’s hearts.

The shopping list for the store, well nothing I could have picked up was as important as picking up my granddaughter.

And the vacation, when we went an hour out of our way, we visited a beautiful old church and met someone with wonderful words of wisdom and comfort.

So when I find myself irritated and grumpy because the plan has now changed, and my “Sounds Like a Plan” has shifted to “God’s Change of Plans” I remind myself … God’s in this, He’s got this, and His ways are just better.